The Christian Churches pledge “to give witness to the Gospel in words and in deeds, to be a living community in charity and in teaching, to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to all, to offer young people roles of responsibility, to open the doors to foreigners, to welcome the dispossessed and to support the suffering and those struggling for peace and justice”. Such are the ambitious pledges made in the final document signed by the 650 participants at the World Ecumenical Conference held in Athens from 9 to 16 May. The Assembly brought together members of the various Christian Churches: Anglican Communion, Orthodox Churches, Reformed Churches, and also for the first time many delegations of the Roman Catholic Church and the churches of the huge pentecostal and evangelical archipelago, to discuss themes of evangelization and mission. “In Athens says the final message released today by the World Council of Churches (WCC) that promoted the event we have acknowledged with sorrow the errors committed in the past and prayed that we may learn from them. We also recognized how little we have done to pull down the barriers of exclusion and marginalization and how much we have tolerated the use of oppressive practices within our societies and churches. We have realized in a renewed manner that the call to non-violence and reconciliation is the very heart of the Gospel message”.
